Violence and Climate Shocks Push Sahel to the Brink
Although the crisis in the Central Sahel “largely faded from the headlines”, the UN reports that it has left millions in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Civilian displacement, climate shocks, and widespread hunger are rapidly spilling across borders.
UN agencies say armed groups are expanding their influence across the Central Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, stripping entire communities of governance and protection. Children have been particularly hard-hit. UNICEF warns that over 1,500 serious human rights violations against minors have been recorded.
Recurring climate shocks continue to exacerbate the crisis in a region that is reported to be warming considerably faster than the global average. Figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) show that violent floods impacted more than half a million people in 2025 alone, while prolonged droughts and desertification continue to devastate local agriculture.
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West Africa:
Violence, Climate Shocks, and Hunger Push the Sahel to the Brink of Collapse
IPS, 10 June 2026
Over the past few years, the humanitarian crisis in Africa’s Sahel region has expanded considerably, largely driven by a surge of violence–particularly in the Central Sahel.… Read more »
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West Africa:
Sahel – Gulf of Benin Countries in Terrorist Crosshairs
Centre 4s, 25 May 2026
Ahmedou Ould Abdallah President Centre4s Read more »
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West Africa:
The Sahel Region Is Less Secure Than Ever – Foreign Forces Just Add to the Cycle of Violence
The Conversation Africa, 25 May 2026
Several of Mali’s major cities experienced coordinated attacks in April by a new coalition of jihadists and separatist groups. Read more »
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Mali:
Mali’s Security Crisis Holds Warnings for Nigeria – Here’s Why
The Conversation Africa, 23 May 2026
Mali and Nigeria, two of the countries in the Sahel region of west Africa, are separated by approximately 1,000 kilometres, with the Niger Republic between them. They differ in… Read more »
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Mali:
Are Mali’s Tuareg-Led FLA Fighters Terrorists or Separatists?
RFI, 4 May 2026
A Tuareg-led separatist group in Mali has insists it is not a “terrorist” organisation despite carrying out coordinated attacks with al-Qaeda-linked fighters that hit military… Read more »
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West Africa:
Central Sahel – Millions of Children in Humanitarian Need, Unicef Official Warns
UN News, 27 April 2026
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Nearly 7.5 million children across the Central Sahel region in Africa are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance – “an emergency that remains too far from the attention of the… Read more »
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A new report by the International Press Institute (IPI) highlights an escalating crackdown on journalists across the Sahel. According to the findings, regional authorities are increasingly weaponizing cybercrime and national security laws to harass, arrest, and imprison journalists who cover sensitive topics -specifically human rights abuses and security failures.
Niger has emerged as a primary jailer in the
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![Heads of state of Mali's Assimi Goita, Niger's General Abdourahamane Tiani and Burkina Faso's Captain Ibrahim Traore pose for photographs during the first ordinary summit of heads of state and governments of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in Niamey, Niger July 6, 2024.]()
The newly appointed head of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, Nick Checker, has visited Mali to revitalize bilateral cooperation with Bamako. The visit is reportedly based on “new foundations, mutual respect, and the absence of any form of interference”.
The State Department has announced that it also plans to consult with the governments of Burkina Faso and Niger regarding
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the growing number of terrorist groups on the continent is not just a regional concern, but one that requires global attention. The UN chief said a “unified, coherent and consensus-based” response was necessary to address the problem.
The Sahel region accounts for about 19% of terrorism attacks worldwide, and more than half of the terrorism-related
A Malian soldier stands guard along a dust-swept street as a camouflaged military pickup truck mounted with a heavy machine gun rolls past during a routine security patrol in a town in northern Mali.
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